The ingredients for Arkansas Tech to have another successful women's basketball season are there, and now it's up to Coach Joe Foley to play the role of master chef and come up with the winning recipe.

Foley, though, warned that finding it may take a little time and a little tinkering before he finds the right mixture with these Golden Suns, who will play an exhibition game Saturday against Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.

"It's still too early to tell what kind of identity this team will have, especially with half the team being new this season," he said. "It's taking a lot of teaching and being patient with these players, then stopping and correct things. It's being a slow process, but we might not have an identity until January. We have to find out what our strengths and weaknesses are, although I have some ideas.

"Defensively, there is a lot of teaching involved, and these players have to learn to be aggressive. In high school, they were the stars and protected at times, but they will be meeting up with somebody just as good as them on every night. They're having to learn to put pressure on the ball. Sometimes they look decent, and sometimes they appear to be out of it."

One of Tech's strengths lie in the nucleus of experienced players returning from last year's 26-5 campaign. Seniors Chanovia Rhodes and Melanie Mallett and juniors Ashley Wallis and Emily Walker each started at least 15 games last year and will be counted on to provide added leadership roles.

Rhodes, a 6-foot-2 post, led the Suns in scoring (15 points per game) and rebounding (9.6 per game), while Mallett, a 5-8 guard, runs the show from her point guard position, averaging 2.9 assists per game. Walker, a 5-10 forward-post, is one of Tech's defensive leaders, and Wallis came on strong late in the season, averaging 8.7 points per game.

"We're going to need Novi [Rhodes] for more scoring," Foley said. "She's big enough and strong enough to step up inside and score more points. Emily knows the game as good as anybody on the team, and she takes pride in the defense. She knows how to keep people in the right spot.

"We need Melanie to do the job of a point guard, and that's to handle the ball, control the offense with turning the ball over and not make mistakes. Ashley has that experience and does a good job on her outside shooting, and she really came on late."

Two other players return from last year's squad -- senior guard Ashley Mallett and sophomore guard Sarah McClure, who is currently injured and will be out of action for at least two more weeks. A plus on Tech's side will be the return of 6-1 sophomore Natalie Garey, who played as a freshman two years ago and sat out last year.

"Ashley has some experience under her belt, and she has shot the ball better in practice than anybody else," Foley said. "I'm not afraid to use her off the bat because she knows what it's like out there, and she was playing better at the end of last year.

"Natalie's return is a plus because it gives us some size, and she loves to run. She's in the best shape of her life and to have a post player than can run can cause havoc to other teams. She will run all day, and she's learning to score. She will give us a good rotation because teams have to have three or four post players.

Then there are the newcomers. The addition of 6-foot forward Ginger Murphy of Highland and 5-10 guard Sarah Hart of Cutter Morning Star will give the Suns something they didn't have last year -- size on the perimeter -- and Foley can't wait to see the results.

"We have never had that kind of size out there," Foley said. "We can use that size to post those two up and create some mismatches with other teams, once they learn how to post up in our system.

"We were so one-dimensional with our offense, but this added height should help make us a better ball team inside and outside. By the middle of the year, I think we can create some mismatches and be able to create some high-scoring opportunities."

Add in that mix a player like junior college transfer like 5-4 guard Hallie Morris of Harrison, which will give Suns another outside scoring threat, as well as some quickness on defense. Morris, however, just had surgery done on her knees, although it isn't expected to be serious and her return should be within two to three weeks.

However, Tech has some things working in its favor. Two exhibition games -- Saturday against Oral Roberts and Nov. 22 at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff -- allows the Suns to push its season back. Tech will also have more home games at the start of the season.

"We actually were able to have one more game on our schedule," Foley said. "These exhibition games are good because it will give our young players a chance to compete, and that will help tremendously. We even get to play one here, which allows our girls to get used to playing at home.

"Getting more games at home had to happen because we've gone to a lot of places to play. I've finally come to the point where I will play teams, but sooner or later they will have to come here for a return game."

Following the exhibitions, Tech will open its season Nov. 29-30 with the Golden Suns Classic, where the Suns will play Florida Southern and Valdosta State.